Bolt catch levers and/or bolt releases are used in connection with firearms to catch and/or release a bolt of the firearm. Some weapons, such as light machine guns, submachine guns and/or pistols, include a bolt release that retains the bolt in an open position after the weapon fires its last cartridge. After the last cartridge has been fired, the marksmen may move the bolt release in front of the bolt to enable the bolt to be retained in a retained rearward position. When the bolt begins to move forward from the rearward position, the bolt engages the bolt release to retain the bolt in the retained rearward position.
After the marksmen inserts a full magazine into the magazine chamber, the marksmen may actuate the bolt release to release the bolt from the retained position and enable the bolt to travel and/or move toward the firing position. As the bolt moves forward toward the firing position, the bolt guides a cartridge into the cartridge chamber to ready the firearm for firing.